The present invention relates generally to an adaptor which may be rigidly attached to the filler neck of a tank of a vehicle to prevent insertion of a fuel dispensing nozzle of an inappropriate size, thus preventing dispensing from a dispenser containing fuel only or the wrong fuel type. The adaptor ensures that a vehicle equipped both fuel and reductant tanks onboard have both tanks replenished during a fuelling operation.
Diesel engines are subject to increasingly stringent regulations on the allowable emission levels of nitrogen oxides. One measure to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted at the tailpipe is to process exhaust gases discharged from the engine in a lean NOx catalyst.
Lean NOx catalysts are able to process NOx in the presence of a reducing agent. Commonly used reducing agents are fuel, hydrocarbons (other than fuel), and urea, an aqueous solution of ammonia. Liquid hydrocarbons other than fuel, urea, and any other liquid reductant, that might be identified to reduce NOx, are provided from a reservoir. If the diesel engine is mobile, a reductant reservoir is supplied on board the vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,755 B1, a device for simultaneously filling a fuel tank and a reducing agent tank with a single pump nozzle is disclosed. The inventor of the present invention has recognized a primary problem with ""755 in that the ""755 system contains no provision to prevent the operator of the vehicle from filling the fuel tank using a diesel only dispenser. Thus, although ""755 provides for simultaneous filling of the two tanks, the operator may not avail themselves of that facility due to economic or convenience reasons. If the reductant tank were depleted, a serious degradation in the efficacy of the exhaust aftertreatment device would result; thus, leading to an increase in NOx emissions from the vehicle. The inventor of the present invention has recognized a problem in the prior art in that there is no provision for ensuring that the reductant tank is replenished.
The inventor has also recognized an additional problem in prior art. Diesel engines, particularly those developed for passenger cars, have become so refined that operators of the vehicles are unaware that the vehicle is powered by a diesel engine. A difficulty, which has ensued due to the blurring of the performance between gasoline-powered and diesel-powered vehicles, is filling the fuel tank with inappropriate fuel. This is particularly prone to happen when the operator is not the vehicle owner such as may be the case with commercial fleets, rental fleets, and loaner vehicles. If gasoline were to be added to a diesel fuel tank and then, to be introduced into a diesel engine, it would likely damage the fuel injection system and possibly the engine.
Drawbacks of prior art are overcome by a system for replenishing a primary fluid tank and a secondary fluid tank disposed on a vehicle from a dual dispensing apparatus having a primary fluid reservoir, a secondary fluid reservoir, and a dual nozzle through which the primary fluid and the secondary fluid may flow. The system includes a filler neck coupled to the primary fluid tank and the secondary fluid tank. The filler neck has an opening proximate to the exterior surface of the vehicle. The system also includes a member having a base end and a tip end rigidly attached to the filler neck at a location away from the opening of the filler neck. The attachment is made at the base of the member with the tip end of the member projecting toward the opening of the filler neck. The tip is proximate to the opening of the filler neck. The cross-section of the member is contained by a circle of a predetermined diameter from the tip of the member for a predetermined distance along the member. The system further includes a secondary fluid passageway contained in the member having a receiving end and a downstream end where the receiving end of the secondary fluid passageway is disposed proximately to the tip end of the member. The downstream end of the secondary fluid passageway is connected to the secondary fluid tank. The system also includes a secondary fluid valve disposed in the secondary fluid passageway located proximately to the receiving end.
A method for replenishing a primary fluid tank and a secondary fluid tank disposed on a vehicle from a dual dispensing apparatus is also disclosed. The dual dispensing apparatus has a primary fluid reservoir, a secondary fluid reservoir, and a dual nozzle through which the primary fluid and the secondary fluid may be conducted to a filler neck coupled to the primary fluid tank and a secondary fluid tank. The method steps include coupling the dual nozzle with an adaptor rigidly attached to the filler neck and providing flow of primary fluid from the primary fluid reservoir to the primary fluid tank. The adaptor allows coupling with the dual nozzle and prevents coupling with a single nozzle that provides a single fluid only.
A primary advantage of the present invention is that the operator is prevented from dispensing primary fluid from a dispenser containing only primary fluid. If the operator attempts to fill primary fluid from a primary fluid only dispenser, the nozzle of the primary fluid only dispenser is such that it may not be coupled with the insert in the filler neck of the vehicle. Only dispensers containing both primary and secondary fluids are allowed to couple with the filler neck and supply fluids to vehicles requiring two fluids thereby ensuring that both fluid tanks are replenished during each filling operation.
An additional advantage of the present invention is that only nozzles of an appropriate size may be coupled to the fuel filler neck, which prevents fueling from inappropriate sized nozzles, such as gasoline dispensing nozzles.
A further advantage of the present invention is that because the operator aligns the nozzle into the filler neck, due to the presence of the insert, the opportunity for splash back of the fuel during dispensing is lessened.
The above advantages and other advantages, objects, and features of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.